Kidnap charge dismissed; Dudley attacker gets 62 days

Tesha L. Lassiter, 31, of Dudley has been sentenced to 62 days in prison for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (handgun).

A woman told police she was kidnapped at gunpoint the afternoon of July 6 and held against her will until the next morning.

According to a police report, she was parked at Patriot Gas in Dudley when a stranger, later identified as Ms. Lassiter, approached her car, said she was four months pregnant and needed a ride to her grandmother’s house on Cortis Road, Dudley.

The driver agreed to give Ms. Lassiter a ride, but no one was home. When the driver asked Ms. Lassiter where she wanted to go, Ms. Lassiter pulled out a handgun and forced her to drive to Worcester.

The victim, it was reported, was handcuffed to the steering wheel during each of several stops throughout the night when Ms. Lassiter got out of the car, bought drugs, and hustled for money to buy more drugs. The victim reported that Ms. Lassiter smoked crack cocaine and shot heroin in the car.

When Ms. Lassiter got out of the car at a stop about 7:15 a.m., the victim sped away.In Dudley District Court, Ms. Lassiter pleaded and was found guilty of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (handgun). A charge of kidnapping was dismissed on request of the prosecution.

Judge Mark E. Noonan recently sentenced Ms. Lassiter to 62 days of time already served in the House of Correction.